Ft. Wilderness Cabins becoming DVC?

[RapunzelRN]

Good questions. Though the cabins are in a different area of the property. So you don't have cabins and RVs on the same loop. Are towels not provided at all Disney resort pools? As for laundry. I would suspect the laundry in the cabins area to be keyed entry and only allow for entry of those with a cabins room card or MB tied to their cabin.

Not at FW per our last visit and disney website “Towels are not available at the pools, so please take your room towels with you when going for a swim.”

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/r...esort/pools-cabins-at-fort-wilderness-resort/

 

[dioxide45]

Not at FW per our last visit and disney website “Towels are not available at the pools, so please take your room towels with you when going for a swim.”

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/r...esort/pools-cabins-at-fort-wilderness-resort/

So without in room laundry, how do they expect you to get clean ones? Use the community laundry? So people in RVs bring their own? I suspect many RVers would have their own anyway.

 

[jodifla]

So are these cabins going to be brand new, or just the sames ones there now? And have they said how many cabins there will be?

 

[pkrieger2287]

RUMOR: HIGH DVC Annual Dues Coming to Fort Wilderness Cabins
https://dvcfan.com/2024/01/17/rumor-high-dvc-annual-dues-coming-to-fort-wilderness-cabins/

 

[kilik64]

So are these cabins going to be brand new, or just the sames ones there now? And have they said how many cabins there will be?

Brand new, plopping down new trailers at the same spot as the old ones. It's going to be the same number that was there before.

 

[EpcotPhoenician]

RUMOR: HIGH DVC Annual Dues Coming to Fort Wilderness Cabins
https://dvcfan.com/2024/01/17/rumor-high-dvc-annual-dues-coming-to-fort-wilderness-cabins/

I predict these cabins will be a flop.

 

[kilik64]

My guess is the high dues is more a product of less total points to spread it around then anything else. With how they priced them with points, while great as they are relatively affordable for what you get in terms of space and sleeping 6 people, it means the overall amount of points sold will be lower too meaning less points to spread the total cost over.

Will be interesting to see how much a cabin will cost via dues expense vs just paying to rent one from Disney. That also depends on how you calculate the dues expense, if you add in the cost per point to buy, its gonna be more like 15/16 a point..

 

[walt34]

I predict these cabins will be a flop.

We can assume that DVD has done surveys and tests on these price points. They could have gone with higher-points-per-night and lower dues but decided to go with lower points per night and higher dues. Let's see. Maybe people don't do this much research on dues per point, are mostly interested in the one time purchase price and maybe in the overall dues per month and DVD intends to sell the cabins in smaller packages? 80 points instead of 100 or 150?

 

[bakerworld]

I'm guessing the high dues are because these cabins will require maintenance/replacement at a higher than average rate. My mother had a trailer for 10 years and my sister is coming up to her 12th year. The ongoing maintenance on my mother's trailer was fairly extreme (foundation, plumbing, HVAC) and my sister had to replace her trailer after 7 years because the back rotted out. I know DVC tends to ignore maintenance issues but if the wall of the trailer is allowing daylight thru it will be an issue - not to mention the murphy bed being mounted on an outside wall.

 

[eticketplease]

We can assume that DVD has done surveys and tests on these price points. They could have gone with higher-points-per-night and lower dues but decided to go with lower points per night and higher dues. Let's see. Maybe people don't do this much research on dues per point, are mostly interested in the one time purchase price and maybe in the overall dues per month and DVD intends to sell the cabins in smaller packages? 80 points instead of 100 or 150?

I don’t think so.

The email I received stated “Membership requires purchasing a deeded ownership interest at The Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort that will expire on January 31, 2075, and that typically ranges in price from $22,700 to $60,100 (subject to change).”

So that would be $227 a point at the minimum buy in of 100 points.

 

[MarkNC2Disney]

RUMOR: HIGH DVC Annual Dues Coming to Fort Wilderness Cabins
https://dvcfan.com/2024/01/17/rumor-high-dvc-annual-dues-coming-to-fort-wilderness-cabins/

The savings value over rack rate just isn’t there for me. Couple that with resale restrictions and… yikes.

 

[Minniemoo15]

12.15$ dues and you’re getting close to the cash rates. I plunked a random week in this summer and you can get the cabins for $325 a night. Why upfront tens of thousands of dollars and take on all that risk ?

 

[Wendysofftoneverland]

I was one of the few people that voted yes, want to buy CFW over on another thread, but count me out if it is $12.50 dues. They must be going after either first time owners that haven't done any research or people who will only use their points at the cabins and their lower point charts. As much as I love the Fort, there are times (like rundisney weekends) when I'd rather stay somewhere else.

 

[Sandisw]

12.15$ dues and you’re getting close to the cash rates. I plunked a random week in this summer and you can get the cabins for $325 a night. Why upfront tens of thousands of dollars and take on all that risk ?

I have a feeling that when these come back online, they are going to up that cash rate...especially if they are going to consider them a Deluxe Villa option and have them eligible for the extra night hours.

 

[MarkNC2Disney]

12.15$ dues and you’re getting close to the cash rates. I plunked a random week in this summer and you can get the cabins for $325 a night. Why upfront tens of thousands of dollars and take on all that risk ?

Right. If your all in purchase price per point is $200, that’s ~$16 per point using Disney’s timeshare math and you’re looking at… $320 per night for a 20 point weekday summer night.

 

[eticketplease]

They must be going after either first time owners that haven't done any research

Exactly this. Disney doesn’t want you doing research. They are definitely going after first time buyers. I’m just curious what the point level incentives will start at. Assuming prices rise to $235 for the Poly Tower, I would rather pay that extra $8 a point to be able to walk/boat/monorail to MK than boat/bus from CFW. In addition the dues would have to be cheaper as it is all one structure.

 

[kilik64]

I have a feeling that when these come back online, they are going to up that cash rate...especially if they are going to consider them a Deluxe Villa option and have them eligible for the extra night hours.

This.

They'll have all the dvc owners booking them to capacity vs having to chase people to get them via a lower price.

 

[walt34]

Exactly this. Disney doesn’t want you doing research. They are definitely going after first time buyers. I’m just curious what the point level incentives will start at. Assuming prices rise to $235 for the Poly Tower, I would rather pay that extra $8 a point to be able to walk/boat/monorail to MK than boat/bus from CFW. In addition the dues would have to be cheaper as it is all one structure.

The dues at Poly2 will probably be quite a bit lower not just because of the building but also because you are going to pay a lot more points per night.

If I remember my last direct sales presentation correctly, they do show the current annual dues quite prominently, so they must still feel that that this combination of points per night vs dues at CFW is the best sales proposition for most customers (even if it does not appear attractive to us).

 

[EpcotPhoenician]

Exactly this. Disney doesn’t want you doing research. They are definitely going after first time buyers. I’m just curious what the point level incentives will start at. Assuming prices rise to $235 for the Poly Tower, I would rather pay that extra $8 a point to be able to walk/boat/monorail to MK than boat/bus from CFW. In addition the dues would have to be cheaper as it is all one structure.

I toured DVC during my GF stay. Before even seeing AKL (where we intend to buy), the guide told me that if I put a down payment on 150 points, she could get us into the EPCOT lounge that day. I asked her, in the most serious tone, “Do people really just throw a down payment on a $50,000 purchase before even seeing the product?”.

It was an eye-opener that people actually do.

 

[Leia's Mom]

There is a specific group of people who will want this, and it isn't the same as people who want the Grand Floridian. I own at AKL and the Poly. I wouldn't trade the Poly for marathon weekend for anything. However, I also have an RV. RV people want this different sense of community. We will tow our golf cart to the cabins. We love to park right outside our cabin and drive to the parks (and get groceries ourselves). We like to decorate our stuff. We want to hang out at a campfire and chat with other people. Some of us are less likely to want to park all day and may just want to enjoy a peaceful day wandering around a resort. I love to run around that place on a pretty morning. While the dues per point is intimidating, going to the free laundry that I am sure they will provide (much like the Poly studios), doesn't phase me. And, let me bring my dog? That fee is cheaper than a lot of the boarding places. I just lost my 14 year old, and the thought of being able to have her with me instead of worrying about her having an emergency somewhere else is pretty compelling. So, why not just take my RV, you may say. (1) towing a golf card plus a car isn't practical and (2) my RV doesn't sleep 6 comfortably (and I'm planning for grandkids with a potential purchase here). I see the cabins as a specific purchase for specific people. I have always said that DVC at FW would be the thing that would make me buy again. Just need to see the terms.

As an aside, this was the place we stayed a lot when my kids were little. They always had a good deal on the cabins (and we didn't have a ton of discretionary income) and the golf cart was as good as a thrill ride for my little ones. We have many, many memories here so my perspective is a bit different from others.